Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Entrance Exam (3)
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⚙ Arena Academy Exam Guide ⚙ The first exam is the Trial of Wisdom. Use your wisdom to pass through the maze. Reach the maze exit to pass the exam. Time Limit: 1 hour. If you remain motionless for 10 minutes, you will be deemed to have refused the exam and automatically disqualified. Tip: Use any means necessary. However, fatal injuries that could lead to death are prohibited. The hologram projected above my Smart Watch.
It was the exam instructions, but I already knew the content.
Still, I checked it just in case there were any differences from the game.
There were none.
'Time to get moving.'
I dismissed the hologram and looked around.
I'd been randomly teleported somewhere in the maze, but with so many examinees, there were plenty nearby.
I needed to move while they were still checking the instructions.
And for good reason.
"Use any means necessary?"
"...That's what it says."
Some examinees were eyeing those nearby with ominous glints in their eyes.
'Figures there'd be types like that.'
The kind who start fights where they don't need to.
So I had to slip away before tangling with them.
Thud. Thud.
I wasn't the only one thinking that—several examinees were already heading deeper into the maze.
I hurried after them and ducked into one of the maze forks.
Whoosh!
The surroundings shifted.
I'd been teleported elsewhere.
'They really overdid the twists and turns.'
Finding the exit in a maze was hard enough, but they had teleportation magic circles hidden all over from the entrance.
I got the intent to stop examinees from easily reaching the exit, but it felt excessive.
Anyone not sensitive to mana would fall for it helplessly.
Like me.
Well, what can a mere mortal do?
Mortals have to use their 'wisdom' to get by.
With that thought, I opened my inventory.
And pulled out a small glass vial containing a bug emitting a blue glow.
This was one of the three items prepped for the exam.
The item was a Mana Stone Worm.
As the name suggested, it was a bug that devoured mana stones—and it would get me through this trial.
"Here's hoping you do your thing."
I shook the vial, and the dormant Mana Stone Worm began to stir.
Weeeeng.
The worm's head swiveled around.
Then it locked onto one direction and let out a cry.
"That way, huh?"
Mana Stone Worms have an uncanny knack for detecting the mana emanating from mana stones.
The stronger the mana, the better they track it.
Why explain all this?
Because the power source moving this maze was mana stones.
And those were at the exit.
I headed in the direction the worm's head pointed.
Forks abounded, but with no traps, it wasn't tense.
I occasionally crossed paths with other examinees, but...
"Let's just go our own ways?"
"Yeah. We're just finding the exit—no need to fight."
We eyed each other warily and parted in different directions.
Thus, following the worm's lead through the monotonous trek...
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have passed the first exam, Trial of Wisdom. Examinee Lee Yoo-jin's rank is 5th place. I'd escaped the maze.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Wow, this batch of examinees has some real standouts, huh?"
"Tell me about it. They call this the golden generation, and they're not wrong."
"We've got plenty of talent already enrolled, but these examinees are packed with geniuses. The golden class title's going to them."
"Has to be."
The instructors monitoring the examinees via screens showing the entire maze chatted amiably.
The topic was the prowess of this incoming class.
Whenever a standout appeared, they'd dig into who it was and their background.
Two instructors were marveling at one monitor.
"That examinee... has a Mana Stone Worm?"
The blue-haired female instructor noted it curiously about Lee Yoo-jin, navigating the maze with the worm.
Her scarred male counterpart—long mark from forehead to right cheek—stroked his chin with interest.
"Sharp mind. Using a Mana Stone Worm to escape? That's knowledge even top-tier heroes might not have."
"Child of a high-rank hero?"
The man chuckled at her question.
"Maybe. But it doesn't matter to us. Famous lineage or orphan without parents—in this academy, they're all just students."
"Fair enough."
She agreed.
Origins meant nothing here, just as he said.
Outside, pedigree might elevate you, but not in the academy.
Arena Academy cared for only two things.
Skill and heroism.
Did they have superior prowess?
And the will to protect people from evil?
Nothing else mattered.
That was the creed of War God Baek Yu-hwa, founder of Arena Academy.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Examinee Lee Yoo-jin has cleared the maze in 5th place.] "Lucky too."
Having the worm was impressive enough, but clearing without a single fight? Equally so.
The tip—"use any means"—had sparked brawls across the screens the instructors monitored.
Examinees knocking out rivals to eliminate competition.
But Lee Yoo-jin passed fight-free.
No glimpse of his skill.
"Packing a Mana Stone Worm counts as skill, in a way..."
But it was more preparedness than prowess.
Still, the third exam would force it out.
"Can't wait."
Wonder what he'd show.
Anticipation lit their eyes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Stepping out of the maze exit brought another teleportation circle, like at the entrance.
One blink, and I was back in the grand auditorium before the maze.
'5th place for me...'
It was within my expected range, but faster than anticipated.
I'd figured 4th to 10th—around 8th most likely.
Main cast had such standout talents and skills.
And even supporting cast nearly as exceptional...
Me in 5th? Just got lucky this time.
'Well, no fights, yeah.'
Every encounter ended in wary partings.
'And the ones here now...'
Descendant of the Knight King: Arthur Pendragon.
Daughter of Sword Star Lee Jung-baek: Lee Seo-yeon.
Successor to Twin Sword Dragon Shuhei Kento: Shuhei Asuka.
Son of Grand Saintess Gloria: Noah.
All main cast material.
'...Why are they staring at me?'
Two guys, two girls—all four fixed on me.
Arthur with curiosity.
Seo-yeon with an inscrutable blank expression.
Asuka grinning like it was fun.
Noah with a look of intrigue.
Embarrassed under their gazes, I scratched my cheek and plopped into a nearby chair.
Then crossed my arms and shut my eyes.
Partly to avoid Arthur's Fairy Eye, partly because the stares were uncomfortable.
As I ignored them, the poking gazes faded soon after.
Thus, eyes closed, pondering the next exam to pass time...
Murmur, murmur.
The surroundings had grown noisy.
I opened my eyes to find the once-deserted auditorium bustling.
- The second exam will begin in 30 minutes. Please refrain from leaving academy grounds.
The PA announced.
"Injured examinees, come this way!"
Healers in white coats called from one side.
Dozens of examinees were getting treated there.
Some with minor scratches.
Others with severe wounds.
All dropouts, no doubt.
Gloomy faces all around.
Failed to reach the exit on time or knocked out in fights past the 10-minute mark.
Still, plenty remained.
Rough count: around two thousand.
'Thousand dropped in the first.'
Second'll cull about fifteen hundred.
Final enrollment: three hundred total.
Why did the second—Trial of Courage—drop so many?
Objectively easier than the first.
Yet the reason for mass failures...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚙ Arena Academy Exam Guide ⚙ The second exam is the Trial of Courage. Trust in your courage and pass through the illusion. Break through the illusion to reach the goal and pass the exam. Time Limit: 1 hour. If you remain motionless for 10 minutes, you will be deemed to have refused the exam and automatically disqualified. Tip: Do not fear the illusion too much. Because you must overcome what you fear most.